Airline passengers told ‘no more carry on’ ahead of Xmas rush, in crackdown on bad behaviour

Airline passengers are the target of a campaign titled ‘no more carry on’ after a rise in unruly behaviour due in part to the face mask mandate.

Signage will appear at airports this week reminding passengers there are penalties for disruptive and abusive behaviour, as part of airlines’ "no more carry on" campaign.

Australia’s major airlines will fly into Christmas and the new year with zero tolerance for disruptive passengers after a dramatic increase in abusive behaviour towards crew, partly triggered by face mask requirements.

Called “No More Carry On”, the campaign plays on the concept that while carry-on luggage is welcome, disruptive or abusive “carry on” is not and offenders could be fined, refused entry to aircraft, or ordered to cover the cost of diversions or damage.

Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Rex have joined airports, federal police and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for the campaign in response to rising abuse over face masks and a general decline in behaviour.

In extreme cases, crew have been threatened and physically assaulted by passengers after simply requesting people pay attention to the safety briefing or while rearranging luggage in overhead bins.

One crew member was attacked after repeatedly asking a passenger to wear a face mask correctly. “They aggressively grabbed my ID off my shirt and pulled it towards them, trying to read any information on it,” said the flight attendant.

“I felt physically violated by this passenger and shocked.”

A federal government requirement, mask-wearing is mandatory in airport terminals and for the duration of flights to reduce the risk of Covid ­infection.

CASA chief executive and director of safety Pip Spence said penalties ranging from $1110 fines to two years’ jail were in place for disorderly and unruly behaviour on board aircraft, and failing to comply with safety-­related instruction.

“Passengers need to understand that bad behaviour on an aircraft can put safety at risk,” Ms Spence said. “It can disrupt the important safety duties of aircraft crew members, cause distractions during critical phases of flight and jeopardise the safety of other passengers.”

Airlines have also signed up to a voluntary code of practice that will see anyone behaving badly at airports refused boarding, and holding disruptive passengers accountable for their actions through fines and cost-recovery measures.

Qantas Group executive and Jetstar chief executive Gareth Evans said the vast majority of passengers did the right thing but airlines were seeing an increase in unruly behaviour. “There is no room for disruptive behaviour at airports and on aircraft, and we will act quickly to stop unruliness to ensure everyone remains safe,” he said.

Virgin Australia chief operations officer Stuart Aggs said it was a busy time of year for crew and passengers and “mutual respect, patience and understanding” would go a long way to ensuring everyone had safe flights.

Rex chief operating officer Neville Howell said they appreciated that navigating the ever-changing rules of travel could at times be challenging and stressful.

Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner specialist protective command Andrea Quinn said it was an ideal time to revive and strengthen security measures at airports as more people returned to travel.